Month in Review and June Goals

A note Emma wrote while we were visiting Mike’s mom. She wanted to have
a tea party and play in the wading pool. The shapes on the sides are hearts.

I can’t believe the year is nearly half over! We had a successful, albeit hectic trip to Nevada and Utah, a nice visit with my sister and newest brother-in-law when we returned, and a couple of weeks of everyday life at the end of the month. We’ve enjoyed mostly gorgeous weather since we returned, and we’re spending as much time outdoors as possible. One of the funniest moments this past month was a particularly hot and muggy day when we decided to walk a couple of blocks to a friend’s house. Johnny was riding his little push tractor, and he got so hot that he was dripping sweat. He hates getting wet, so he would stop every few feet and wipe the sweat off his neck and then “dry” his hands on the street. Lily gets into new mischief every day. She especially loves pulling Emma and Johnny’s hair… I was feeling all happy about nobody being sick in the month of May, and then Lily got croup Thursday night. She is finally starting to feel better, and so far everyone else has stayed healthy!

I do wish I could have kept Johnny happier on our flights, but hopefully that will come as he gets older. The driving portion of the trip went remarkably well. I think having a minivan (borrowed from Mike’s mom) instead of our usual Honda Accord helped a lot. We had plenty of space for our stuff, and each child had their own space they could retreat into. The biggest problem with the three kids across the back seat of the car is that, if one child decides to bother another child, there is no retreat. My only other goal was to enjoy time with family and friends, and that I felt went really well. The kids had some time with all three surviving grandparents, as well as five of their six surviving great-grandparents. They didn’t get to see any of their own cousins (both of my two siblings with children had imminently-arriving babies and therefore couldn’t make it to my sister’s wedding), but they played with our cousins (who in several cases are closer in age to them than us anyhow) and the children of one of my cousins, as well as Mike’s sister and several of my siblings and in-laws. Emma also made fast friends with the daughter of a friend from Edinburgh. It’s been fun to hear Emma talking happily about “all my grandmas and grandpas”, as well as the various aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends we saw on the trip.

My goals for June are to:

• Spend lots of time outside. Target Areas: health and peace
• Make at least one article of clothing. Target Areas: education
• Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Target Areas: health
• Sort through clothes and toys and donate those we no longer need. Target Areas: gratitude and charity
• Pick strawberries at a local farm. Target Areas: health and education

What are your hopes and goals for June? It’s not on my official list, but I need to start planning for a road trip to Philadelphia for a wedding in August – any advice on surviving the trip (probably without a minivan) or ideas of places to stop or things to do between Boston and Philly?

MaryAnne Kochenderfer

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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.